An extended trial of PowerHouse Energy Group PLC’s (LON:PHE) waste-to-power system has returned some encouraging results. Its G3-UHt unit used a feedstock of tyre crumb as part of the extended trial at the Energy Centre of Thornton Science Park in Cheshire. The synthesis gas (syngas for short) produced contained 50% hydrogen, which it wants to turn into a vehicle fuel. The other constituents were carbon monoxide and methane. “PowerHouse has long focused on the efficient generation of energy from waste. However, our ability to generate a concentrated volume of hydrogen from waste, on a distributed basis, sets us apart from others,” said chairman Keith Allaun. “We believe that distributed modular gasification is critical to opening the door to the coming hydrogen economy. “These trials will allow us to manage and maximise the constituent elements of the syngas we create to best serve our business model objectives of delivering hydrogen as a road-fuel.”

The devil is always in the detail. What is the net energy of the process? Collecting the tyres, processing them to crumb, heat and other inputs to the chemical process, and what do you do with the carbon monoxide? It used to be part of town gas, which why it was so convenient for suicide (including my wife's grandmother). And the end result is that the carbon tied up in the tyres ends up as greenhouse gas rather than landfill. Also, tyres have lots of additives, including sulphur, which will need collecting to avoid acid rain, and the steel structure, which could be recycled.

The disposal of used tyres is a significant challenge. So this proposal may have some merit if considered primarily as a disposal system, with the useful fuel being considered as by-product that offsets the disposal costs.

The gas produced does indeed sound rather similar to the old town gas, and could be utilised in an engine to produce electricity, or for some other purpose. That would save the cost and losses in separating the hydrogen._________________"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"

I have a couple of pairs of Sole Rebels, they're tres snazzy but pure leisurewear._________________"Buddhists say we come back as animals and they refer to them as lesser beings. Well, animals aren’t lesser beings, they’re just like us. So I say fụck the Buddhists" - Bjork